September 16, 2012
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Anthony Peter Coleman, Frank Ocean, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 38, Seth MacFarlane, SNL, SNL Season 38
I was saying TTYL to my innocence.
SNL returns for Season 38. It’s an election season (which should be good?). Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, and Abby Elliott are out; Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Cecily Strong are in.
Cold Opening – Democratic Rally
Classy (and kind of funny) move from Fred handing off the Obama impression to Jay. (Let me just say I would love it if they both played Obama this season.) Jason has got to be thanking Mitt for providing him with all these gaffes to make up for the lack of an impressionable voice. The Paul Ryan numbers joke was so right on the money. B+
Montage
Still pictures?! I’ll have to get used to that. It was time for a change, and they do look cool.
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May 20, 2012
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Mick Jagger, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 37, SNL, SNL Season 37
Cold Opening – The Lawrence Welk Show
I will usually make note – if not outright criticize – a recurring sketch when we know exactly where it is going, but I will often concede that there may be audience members who are seeing this sketch for the first time and will find it perfectly amusing, having no idea about the repetition. But the Lawrence Welk Show sketches are so popular by now that I think most viewers knew what was coming. Luckily, Jon Hamm was fully committed to his unusual character, and Wiig went even further than she usually does, getting a little too close for comfort with Hamm and that statue fountain. And it actually ended with Dooneese hooking up with the male singer, so that was different. B
Mick Jagger’s Monologue
It looks like Mick Jagger. Let’s not kick him to the curb. Simply put, Mick seemed to just be himself for the monologue. His answers to those FAQ’s weren’t hilarious, but they felt like a fun conversation. It’s nice to know that Mick’s cognitive faculties are still intact, as that has not always been clear during his performances the last few years. B+
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May 14, 2012
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 37, SNL, SNL Season 37, Usher, Will Ferrell
Cold Opening – Biden’s Room
Biden’s presence in political sketches the past few seasons has generally worked in SNL‘s favor, as he brings a silly energy that tends to mix up the staid formula that has set in for most recent political sketches. Biden’s starring role – along with Will’s goofy-at-a-Hall-of-Fame-level Dubya – set the tone for an episode that was at its best when it was seriously silly. B+
Will Ferrell’s Monologue
The cue card gag was on a par with Steve Martin saying, “Line?” at the end of the Not Gonna Phone It In Tonight cold open. Will Ferrell and Mom = Will Ferrell and emotions, which is always a formula for at least some success. B
One-a-Day Extra Strength Nasaflu
Well, one doesn’t really need any reason to listen to Will Ferrell scream-sneeze, but it would have been nice to have more of a sketch built around it. B
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May 7, 2012
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Eli Manning, Rihanna, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 37, SNL, SNL Season 37
Cold Opening – Fox and Friends
“Baseball is a land sport” was one of the corrections – I wonder what they claimed otherwise. As usual, the corrections were the best part, and they can only work in an age when pausing is easy. The bits with Bobby as Brian Kilmeade were also amusing, including the lines about pandas. B
Eli Manning’s Monologue
Monologues have gone to the well of “host claims to know New York, but gets it all wrong” plenty of times before, but they usually work, so that’s fine. I thought I fully knew where this was going at first, but there were some surprises, and Eli was sufficient. B
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April 15, 2012
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Gotye, Josh Brolin, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 37, SNL, SNL Season 37, The Californians
We need beans, like, yesterday.
Republican Candidates at a Bar
It felt like this sketch could have been written months ago, and SNL was just waiting for everyone besides Romney to drop out before airing it. Humorously keen observations were made about each candidate. The digs at Rick Perry’s propensity for gaffes in this sketch were the best digs at him all season. B+
Josh Brolin’s Monologue
It was nice to see that Josh Brolin was comfortable enough to get through his monologue (mostly) by himself, despite not having much material. I got that he only said one word as Tommy Lee Jones because Tommy Lee isn’t a big talker, but it would have been nice to hear more of that impression, because based on the MIB3 trailer, he has his cadence down well. B-
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